The Grand Duke's Son Is A Heretic-Chapter 454

"In fact," she continued, her voice softening, "there have been times when the Orthodox Church even joined hands with them to deal with us."

"Fuckkkk!"

Hearing this, Kael’s expression turned disgusting. His lip curled as he muttered under his breath.

"Pieces of shit... Just wait..."

His fists tightened. "If I don’t pay you in double with interest, then I might just hang myself."

The woman continued with a somber look.

"Even with lineage and strength, it’s hard for us to make a significant impact because we don’t have any political authority. So we changed plans and decided to lurk near heirs of nobles and slowly establish our connections."

Kael nodded a little, though his expression remained cold.

"Adele was one of our targets," the woman said, "while Prince Rein seems to be one of the Abyssal Cult."

She paused, letting the words settle in the air.

The room fell silent. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Kael leaned back, absorbing everything. His fingers tapped slowly against the wooden armrest, his eyes clouded with thought and irritation.

The situation was turning more complicated than he wanted.

"What about Austin and those things with drugs?"

Kael leaned forward slightly as he asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. The quiet cell echoed his voice faintly.

Hearing this, another long sigh escaped from Mariana. She rubbed her forehead with her fingers as if the topic itself drained her.

"I don’t know much. However, years ago Austin extended his support to Adele." She paused and looked down for a moment, remembering. "After observing all the pros and cons, I asked her to refuse because I don’t think associating with him was any good."

She shifted her position a little, her tired face tightening. "I learnt about the drug thing later and apparently the main reason he did this wasn’t to cause trouble to the estate.Rather, from what I understand, he did this so that there won’t be any more children."

"Children?" Kael’s brows furrowed for a moment. His expression turned sharp.

"Yes children." Mariana nodded slowly. "With you born weak, and Adele already showing promise, he was sure that he can control Adele and become a shadow ruler. He didn’t want any more disruption."

Kael leaned back, tapping his fingers lightly on his knee. "Hmm. That’s a good move but what if The Grand Duke married another?" he asked, his voice steady but thoughtful.

Mariana shook her head. "He was just sure Grand Duke won’t marry. It may not look like but that guy really cares for his wife even though he is incapable of understanding or showing things."

Kael let out a quiet breath as he processed it. His expression turned colder.

"Any more dirt?" Kael asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mariana closed her eyes briefly, then continued. "Also from what I inferred from my long lasting observation, Adele just needed to prove her worth and she would become Grand Duchess without any difficulty. Alas..."

She clicked her tongue with irritation. Even recalling it annoyed her.

"This thing even irked me too much. Even after repeatedly preaching to her, she always has an inkling fear that Ruth would be partial and might not give her throne. So she associates with Rein’s and starts doing everything so that no leave is left unturned and going as far as sending assassins, which I forbid because this might make her disqualified."

She lifted her hands slightly in frustration. "So in the end, if I have to describe her... I want to say that she is just an insecure pretty bitch who doesn’t believe in her own strengths." Mariana clicked her tongue again, her annoyance obvious.

Kael chuckled quietly when he heard this. He shook his head with a faint smirk.

"Yes... she really is an insecure bitch. Instead of wasting time she would have trained more and got stronger."

He spat to the side lightly, irritation clear in his eyes. For a second, he wondered what she had been doing now. His jaw tightened, then he exhaled.

Kael then shook his head and looked up at Mariana again, his expression growing serious.

"By the way... what did you do with the Saintess?"

His voice dropped a little, and his eyes focused sharply on her, waiting for her explanation.

"We have imprisoned and kept her in one of the secret hideouts?"

Mariana answered honestly, and Kael slowly nodded. His expression shifted, growing sharper.

"Hmm...That’s not bad..She looked like a good kid."

"But did you torture her?" Kael asked. His tone was calm, yet there was a cold edge in it.

"No. Unlike those filths, she is quite benevolent. It is better to say that she is deceived by those hypocrites."

Kael’s brows crunched tightly and he leaned a little closer. "You seemed to harbor quite ill intent towards the Church. Is it because of the teaching of the Heretic?"

He asked because he wanted a group he could rely on, not a group that kidnapped people and filled their minds with poison.

He never likes brainwashing people.Hatred should be just and due to a person suffering not because someone brainwashed you into hating something.

Mariana shook her head with a bitter smile. "No. It’s because my mother died because the Priest refused to treat them for free. We begged them and even sold ourselves for money, but when I came back with money it was over."

Her voice trembled slightly near the end, though she tried to hide it. The room fell silent.

"Sorry for your loss," Kael said quietly. It was rare for him to show softness, yet this time he meant it.

Mariana looked at Kael as if she was looking at a god who had descended before her. Her voice softened. "Everyone of the members had been incorporated with your values. The children we teach are those who have been abandoned or from the orphanages we have. Our forces are cultivated willingly amidst the same minded people."

She clasped her hands together tightly. "The higher up make sure that it doesn’t cross any boundaries."

"Hm. Tell me more about the structure and hideout and when I can meet them." Kael spoke while tapping his fingers beside him.

Mariana nodded and straightened her back. "The one leading at the top is the Saintess alongside the Knight Lord." She paused to make sure he followed. "Below them are Five Constellations who control Star Lancers. The elite force of the Heretic Group."